Tips from some of the books I like from Grant Cunningham:

  • Defensive Pistol Fundamentals, 2014
  • Defensive Revolver Fundamentals, 2nd Edition, 2022
  • Gun Digest Book of the Revolver, 2011

Trigger Control

from Defensive Revolver Fundamentals chapter 4 and Defensive Pistol Fundamentals chapters 13 and 14.

Grasp: the Foundation of Trigger Control

Remember that your training is going to be geared to delivering rapid, multiple, combat accurate hits on target; if your grasp is weak or intentionally light like a target shooting technique, it’s going to make that task very difficult. Proper grasp within your limits of strength is the key to controlling your pistol’s recoil, and the smaller and/or lighter your gun the more important it becomes.

Think about this: you’re holding a gun that might weigh as little as 12 ounces. The trigger may take 13 pounds of pressure (208 ounces) to operate. It’s clear that 208 is more than 12 and that the extra 196 ounces (12 ¼ lbs.) of additional force must be controlled. In other words, something must keep that 208-ounce force from moving the 12-ounce object around.

That something is your grasp. A grasp that exceeds the difference between the trigger weight and the gun’s weight is what you need to stop trigger-induced movement in the gun. That’s not going to happen with a weak target-shooting grasp.

Start with proper hand placement. The web of your shooting hand (the area between thumb and forefinger) should be placed as high as possible on the grip without spilling over the frame shoulder’s top (for revolver; for pistol: up against the tang underneath the slide). This hold lowers the bore line relative to your hand, reducing the gun’s leverage, which in turn minimizes recoil and muzzle flip. Holding any higher on the grip than this channels recoil through the edge of the shoulder, which increases the pain level; it’s counterproductive. In addition, it puts a solid, tensioned muscle underneath the tang, which in turn resists the backward cartwheeling motion of the gun. Together they serve to minimize recoil and muzzle flip to the greatest degree possible.

Remember the safety rules? Unless you’re shooting, place your trigger finger along the frame just above the trigger (revolver: and underneath the cylinder). Keep it there.

Wrap the rest of your fingers around the grip, ensuring that the top of your middle finger contacts the underside of the grip behind the triggerguard. (If you’re using old-fashioned revolver grips that don’t fill in behind the triggerguard, this probably won’t be possible. So, your control will be severely compromised until you fit proper grips.)

Unless your grips have finger grooves, the rest of your fingers should be in firm contact with each other. If your grips do have finger grooves, make sure that your fingers don’t end up on top of the ridges between the grooves. Your grasp and recoil control will be severely compromised if they do. If the grips are made of a rigid material, you could even suffer injury.

The thumb should be relatively high, to make room for your support hand. Curl your thumb tip down like a closed fist. This grip gives you a strong constriction between the web of your hand and your middle finger, which acts against the gun’s recoil shoulder and keeps the grip from sliding in your hand during the trigger stroke and the gun’s recoil.

Depending on your grip and hand size, there may be a gap between the fingers and heel of your palm that exposes the grip panel. Into this area you’re going to place the heel of your support hand. Note that it’s the heel of the hand, not the base of the thumb, that goes into that space! This has the effect of rotating the support hand forward, which increases its ability to help resist recoil.

Now simply wrap the fingers of the support hand over the top of the shooting hand, making sure that the forefinger touches the bottom of the triggerguard.

Finish by layering (not crossing) the thumbs. Your shooting hand thumb should point forward, roughly in line with the barrel. (When I shoot onehanded I raise the thumb fairly high; I find that it cams the gun into my hand with a great amount of force, which increases control without needing to try to increase my finger pressure. I find the trigger finger stays more relaxed and trigger control is enhanced.)

The pistol grip is now encircled by muscle, with no gaps or weak points. This is the best way to control recoil, muzzle flip, and “squirming” in the hands.

Adjust your grip as necessary to get the specified contact points and make a mental note of how everything feels. It’s that feeling you’ll want to replicate each time you grasp the gun.

Grasp Variations

Sometimes there is a significant mismatch between the grip size and the shooter’s hand size. This mismatch causes your support hand thumb to be so far forward that it interferes with your trigger finger as it comes back.

In these cases, simply moving your support thumb up to the knuckle of your shooting hand thumb is enough to give a clear path for the trigger finger. One caution, however: this can result in a slight loss of control unless you’re careful to ‘clamp down’ with the support thumb.

Use Maximum Grip Pressure

The pressure that you’re able to exert in your grasp is what will hold the gun steady when you shoot. Extend your arms equally straight out as far as you can, putting the gun at arm’s length. Now squeeze with both hands as hard as you can until your arms start to tremble from the effort. Now ever so slightly release the pressure, just enough to stop the trembling but no more. The resulting pressure will become your normal grasp pressure. (I do this little routine at the start of each practice shooting session, just to remind myself how much grip pressure I really need. My students can verify that we start each day with this exercise.)

You’ll probably find that the resulting pressure is much more than you would otherwise exert without doing this drill. That’s the amount of “squeeze” you need to apply each time you grasp the gun. Remember what that pressure feels like, and from now on, anytime you extend the gun to fire a shot, make sure you’re exerting that level of pressure.

You’ll find that, with occasional practice, your hand and arm muscles will rapidly develop from this isometric exercise. The strength of your grasp will increase, and you’ll have increasing control over your revolver. However, you’ll never get there if you don’t start now.

Trigger Finger Placement

As mentioned, the trigger finger must apply a great deal of force to move the trigger against the spring pressure of the gun’s lockwork. In a stock revolver, this is often as much as 12 or 13 pounds, and the triggers of certain guns might require nearly 15 pounds of pull weight. To make trigger movement smooth, predictable, and repeatable against that amount of pull weight, it’s necessary to take full advantage of finger leverage. Maximum leverage is best achieved by putting the first (distal interphalangeal) joint of your trigger finger on the trigger face. This position creates maximum mechanical advantage and allows for better control of the trigger, as your finger doesn’t tire as quickly, and movement is smoother.

Ayoob calls this the “power crease.” While I don’t use that term, I must admit it serves as an excellent mental bookmark.

It was once commonly taught to place your finger pad on the trigger face. This technique was necessitated by the wide, serrated ‘target’ triggers that were then common. Today, while there are still a couple prominent shooters who champion this method, most shooters and trainers have long since transitioned to using the distal joint position because of its clear advantages. Gun manufacturers, too, have responded by making their triggers narrower and without grooves; this design makes it easier to use the more efficient distal joint position.

Trigger Manipulation and Control

Once you’ve appropriately placed your hand, maximized your grasp pressure, and placed your trigger finger in contact with the trigger correctly, trigger manipulation becomes much more manageable.

Manipulating the double-action trigger is much like mastering the golf stroke. In fact, I use the term ‘stroke’ to describe the action of operating the trigger because I believe it conveys a much better sense of the movements involved.

Like the golf swing and follow-through, the double-action trigger has two parts: compression and release. Compression is the act of bringing the trigger back against its spring pressure, cocking and dropping the hammer to fire the round. The release is the act of returning the trigger to its forward (rest) position, aided by that same spring pressure. Both parts are equally important to good trigger control.

Compression

Trigger compression must be smooth and consistent to avoid ‘steering’ the gun and throwing the shot off. Once you’ve decided to fire, compress the trigger smoothly, evenly and straight back. The compression should be consistent in speed, neither slowing down nor speeding up, and the trigger should be in constant motion until the gun fires. Don’t stop or slow down once you’ve begun the compression; keep your trigger finger moving until the gun fires.

This technique reduces (or eliminates) off-axis forces that cause deviation (difference between the aim point — where you want the bullet to go — and where it lands). Constant, predictable forces are easier to control than those that vary unpredictably. Students who alter their trigger compression rate will often have a muzzle that wanders excessively. The cause is usually an insufficiently firm grasp, which doesn’t give a solid feeling of control over the revolver.

If you find yourself slowing your trigger compression as you approach the point of ignition, try increasing your grasp pressure. That cures the issue most of the time.

Release

The trigger release is started immediately after the hammer falls and the round ignites. The long trigger travel of the revolver delays the firing of the next round unless the trigger is kept in constant motion. That means starting the release without a pause.

To affect a good release, simply reduce the amount of pressure your finger applies to the trigger. You want to apply the minimum amount of pressure necessary to keep your finger on the trigger as it returns forward. In fact, your trigger finger should always remain in contact with the trigger as it returns. But only with enough pressure so that you can feel the trigger reset; any resistance will simply slow the trigger’s movement and may cause you to start another compression before the lockwork has reset. This resistance can result in a temporary jam. Maintain just enough contact so that you can feel the trigger stop, at which point it is completely reset, and you can fire the next shot if necessary.

I’ve found that accurate high-speed shooting is easier when you release at the same speed as the compression. This speed should not vary during the trigger’s return movement like the compression.

It’s also vitally important to pay close attention to your grasp pressure during the return. It’s common for the fingers of your primary hand to relax in sympathy with the relaxing trigger finger. If that happens, the muzzle will surely drift off alignment with the target and likely throw the shot slightly off. Then, the grasp needs to be tightened again for the next shot, which tends to pull the muzzle down and to one side as you compress the trigger. The result is a see-sawing of the muzzle, often referred to as “milking” by seasoned instructors.

Paying close attention to your grasp pressure during practice sessions, first establishing proper pressure as described previously, then maintaining that pressure, goes a long way to mastering the long, heavy double-action trigger.

Finger Movement on the Trigger

Did I say “on” the trigger? Yes, I did. Suppose you were to diagram the operation of both your trigger and your trigger finger. In that case, you’d notice a similarity: both rotate around a pivot point, and both travel in a semicircular path. Neither travel in a straight line.

The old technique of placing your finger pad on the trigger gives less leverage than the first joint on the trigger.

When operating a trigger, your finger hinges at the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints, with most rotation happening at the latter. Therefore, your fingertip makes an arc (with a slightly decreasing radius, for the geometry purists in the audience) on a horizontal plane. The trigger pivots, too, on a pin inside the frame. And the trigger tip also travels in an arc (semicircular with a vertical plane).

The arcs of the trigger and your finger are at a right angle to each other. That may not seem like much of a concern, but unless you understand what’s happening, you’ll do the one thing that most people do to mess up their trigger stroke: you’ll “hang on to” the trigger. That’s because the trigger is traveling up and away from your finger while your finger is traveling toward your palm. The trigger always feels like it’s trying to slip from under your finger, while your finger feels like it’s going to fall off the trigger.

When this happens, most people strongly curve the tip of their finger inward to hang on to the trigger. Such action tends to pull the muzzle down. Depending on how the gun fits your hand, it can steer the gun to one side.

That’s why so many people try to “stage” the DA trigger — stopping the compression stroke to regroup near the point of ignition — by using the tip of their trigger finger to contact the frame. Their finger has already curled inward to diminish the feeling of lack of control, which causes their fingertip to hit the frame. Most people take that as a sign to pause slightly, re-align their sights and then finish off the shot. There isn’t time, nor fine tactile function, in a defensive shooting situation to allow this to happen.

It’s far better to solve the underlying issue than apply the Band-Aid of the staged trigger. Here’s how:

The interaction of the trigger and your finger arcs means that your finger feels like it wants to slide downward and across the trigger face. Let it. Don’t try to hang on to the trigger to keep the finger in one place; let your finger slide naturally across and down the trigger face as it strokes the trigger. The result will be far less muzzle deviation, especially at speed.

It isn’t easy for some people to do. If you’ve been shooting your revolver with that firmly curled finger, or worse yet by staging the trigger, you’re going to have a hard habit to break. Overcoming the habit, however, will make you a better double-action shooter.

This is one place where dry-fire comes in handy, allowing you to feel how the finger slides on the trigger face. It’s not a lot of movement, mind you, but you should be able to feel that slight sliding effect. If you can, it means that you’re doing it right.

Putting it Together

Compared to an autoloader, the revolver trigger takes much longer to reset. If you expect to shoot quickly and accurately, start the trigger return as the cartridge ignites. The only way to do that without moving the muzzle off target is to practice making the return as stable as the compression. Except for the instant where the direction is reversed, the trigger stroke should look like a single continuous movement. The goal is to keep the muzzle aligned on target during the stroke, both compression and release.

For this reason, I recommend practicing the stroke, focusing on trigger return until the muzzle alignment (as shown by the sights) does not vary during any phase of the stroke. It was common to balance a coin on the front sight in the past. You’d practice the trigger stroke until the coin didn’t move regardless of which direction the trigger was going. The drill served to illustrate both what’s required and what’s achievable.

About Trigger Faces

As I mentioned previously, in the “good old days,” double-action triggers were typically serrated or grooved. That design allowed your finger pad to operate the trigger when it was cocked to single action, as double-action shooting wasn’t taken all that seriously. In fact, many old-timers believed that you couldn’t hit anything past ‘belly-to-belly’ distance in double action!

Colt tended to have narrow grooved triggers, while Smith & Wesson had broader triggers with extra-wide “target” trigger options. (Companies were making ‘trigger shoes’ for Colt revolvers to give them the same extra-wide trigger profile as the Smith & Wesson; some of those shoes were so wide that they extended past the coverage of the triggerguard, which in turn required holsters that didn’t cover the trigger.)

Those serrated triggers made double-action shooting more difficult. Your finger couldn’t slide properly across the trigger face. In recent years, revolver manufacturers have figured out that the DA shooting technique has changed and now ship revolvers with proper smoothfaced triggers.

Even if the trigger has a smooth face, it may still have very sharp edges that inhibit proper finger movement like the grooves of yesteryear. If your revolver has a grooved/serrated trigger or sharp edges, a gunsmith can quickly round and polish the face of the trigger for you. Your trigger finger will thank you, and your double-action shooting will improve.

Dry Fire Practice

I’m not an advocate of extensive dry-fire practice for defensive shooting. However, that isn’t to say that it’s completely useless. Some dry fire — of the right kind and proportion — can help develop proper trigger control.

Dry firing’s primary benefit is mastering the release portion of the trigger stroke and developing the proper compression. Why do I place them in that order? Because practicing a smooth release is quite tricky with live ammunition since the recoil of the gun masks the trigger reset. Of course, the trigger is resetting, but the effects of recoil make it impossible to feel that reset. That recoil also interferes with your ability to judge if you’re correctly maintaining your grasp pressure.

A common issue is trying to hang on to the trigger, curling the finger and hitting the frame. Letting the finger slide on the trigger keeps the finger from curling and makes manipulation easier.

The older, grooved trigger (left) is not as conducive to good double-action shooting as the smoothly polished trigger.

Dry firing allows you to divorce the act of trigger manipulation from the recoil and lets you feel what a proper release is really like.

Dry firing allows you to divorce the act of trigger manipulation from the recoil and lets you feel what a proper release is really like. It also makes it easy to feel grasp strength and maintain it consistently. These things in dry fire — proper smooth release and consistent grasp pressure during release — make a marked difference in live-fire control.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that when you pay attention to the release in dry fire, the compression almost takes care of itself. That’s not strictly true, of course, but I’ve found that working on the compression portion doesn’t benefit quite as much from dry fire. That’s probably because the compression happens before the shot breaks and isn’t masked by the recoil. The release happens during and just after the round is ignited and hidden by the recoiling gun.

How Much to Dry Fire?

I recommend doing just enough dry-fire practice at home that you develop the ability to maintain a perfect sight alignment for the full stroke of the trigger — compression and release — 100 percent of the time. Once you’ve achieved that, further dry fire in isolation is of little value. That doesn’t mean it’s completely useless, only that it needs to be done at a different time and place: Once you’ve fixed in your mind what proper trigger control feels like, any further dry firing is best done at the range just before the live fire. The immediate transition from the lessons of dry fire to applying those lessons with live ammo provides far more benefit than endlessly dry firing at home.

Before firing any live ammunition, I suggest a short dry-fire session when you go to the shooting range. Just a minute or two, paying close attention to the fundamentals of grasp, compression, and release, will be an immense help in fixing in your mind precisely what your hands should be doing. Immediately switching to live fire allows you to transfer those practiced skills to the actual shooting. My students report that practicing in this way makes their dry- and live-fire sessions much more productive.